ginn1

My husband and I are in our mid-50's and we have two weeks to see N.S., P.E.I., etc. We do not like to rush ion our road trips. We are thinking about flying to Halifax and renting a car. Suggestions please.

quispam

Halifax is a great city to visit- Titanic exhibit at Museum of the Atlantic and some great restaurants ( Wooden Monkey, Salty's, Da Maurizio) The waterfront is a good place to wander.From there, i would head to Cape Breton and do the trail, on the way back, take the ferry at Pictou NS for PEI and then come back over the Confederation Bridge ( about 42$ for your car). ( You pay to get OFF the Island). PEIi is a jewel , also with many great restaurants in Charlottetown and fabulous beaches- Brackley as well as the national parks. Try to get to a church lobster supper and if you like musical theatre, Confederation Center of the Arts for Anne of Green Gables. My pet peeve about the ISland is the drivers. A red light is a mere suggestion to them and they will often speed through yellow lights . Watch out while you are crossing the road as a pedestrian too!
ALl over NS and PEI you will see "ceihleids" ( not sure of spelling) which are essentially kitchen parties featuring lot of fiddles, reels and jigs- Celtic music. People are very friendly and will steer you to the best place with the yummiest lobster rolls, chowder etc.There is a burgeoning wine industry in NS and the Annapolis valley ( Wolfville) is the place to visit. I live
in New Brunswick and travel for work to these other provinces all the time.have a great trip!

BAK

Two weeks translates to 28 seafood lunches and dinners, and that's a good starting point.

My maritime regrets are not getting on the water often enough, so not staying on land would be a good objective.

There's kayak's near the Hopewell Rocks, in New Brunswick, and a ferry to Prince Edward Island in addition to the bridge.

And ferry boats near St. Andrews, Deer Island, and Campebello.

And even the ferry from Halifax to Dartmouth is a treat.

Got a hobby? What's the maritime take on whatever your hobby is?

There's a lot of good golfing in the maritimes.

BAK

Daniel_Williams

Hi ginn1

Quispam has given you an excellent plan of attack; I just have a few minor things to add. I've taken 3 trips to Maritime Canada and have enjoyed each trip, although I still feel I have much to explore! I especially love Halifax and Charlottetown (people are so friendly!)and the landscapes near Green Gables are just gorgeous.

The South Shore just below Halifax (Peggy's Cove, Lunenburg, Mahone Bay, Chester) I found enjoyable for a road trip. I just came back from a cycling trip on PEI and if you like this kind of thing, it's an enjoyable way to experience the island (plenty of rental places peppered throughout the island) or get out of your car for an afternoon or two. The Confederation Trail running from eastern tip to western tip of the island is one of the most extensive and best maintained bike trails (for hybrid or mountain bikes) I've seen anywhere in North America, with negligible bike traffic, even near the capital Charlottetown.

Have a great trip! Daniel

tovarich

We did the three maritime provinces last year September and my tip would be:
Halifax-peggy's cove-Lunenburg- Annapolis royal-via Truro-Confederation bridge-Charlottetown-Cavendish(Green gables)-Summerside-CON.Bridge again and to the Cabot trail-Baddeck-Chéticamp- Ingonish-then to Louisburg(dont miss this)-then back to Halifax.Paul

RVtraveler

Suggest you visit www.drivecrosscountry.net/RouteM1 for ideas of places in NS & PEI.

By all means take time to enjoy the PEI hospitality - go to country fairs, etc. Take time to walk along the fishing piers and chat with the "locals". Enjoy.

BAK

Two Italians arrived in Sydney Nova Scotia by accident yesterday.

They thought they were going to Sydney, Australia, but chose a bad travel agent.

In Sydney, NS, overnight, they were treated to a free hotel room, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corp showed them eating a lobster dinner.

bak

ginn1

Any suggestions where to stay and eat? We are not fancy people but we love god food and a very clean places to bed down.

Halifax_Deb

For a good place to stay in Halifax try Premier Suites www.premieresuites.com . They rent apartments in various buildings in Halifax, by the day, week or month. Prices are similar or less than hotels and you usually have a kitchen for breakfast etc. You could also try the university residences (Dalhousie and St.Mary's) in the summer. You will find lower priced accomodation outside the downtown core (eg. motels along the Bedford Highway) but they are not as convenient. You will likely pay for parking at a downtown hotel though so you might not want to get your rental car until you are leaving Halifax (taxi is $53 from airport to downtown). For best accomodation deals travel after Labour Day, especially in PEI.

rfied112

we just did same thing last year, in mid 50's too. cape breton is a must : Must do the Cabot Trail, start in Cheticamp; suggest Keltic lodge in ingonish, Normaway Inn in Margaree valley, the highland heights inn in iona has a breathtaking view of bra's dor lake. eastern shore is not worth seeing, south shore is scenic with lunenburg and mahone bay highly recommended, go as far as shelburne.

PEI was a BIG disappointment, not very scenic and really some barren deserted stretches, no civilization for miles, suggest skipping PEI and do more NS. the anne of green gables is a make believe tourist trap, we didn't go near it. Get Doers and dreamers official NS guidebook from their tourism office.

Daniel_Williams

While it is not inconceivable to me that a visit to PEI would disappoint given varied expectations, I do not share rfied's opinion to skip the island and feel some of his/her assessments would not be shared by some travellers.

"Green Gables as make-believe tourist trap". This home and grounds were owned by the MacNeill family and are believed to have been inspiration for Lucy Maud Montgomery when writing her famed novel. The exterior is apparently well-maintained and the landscapes surrounding are what Ms. Montgomery would have grown up with, so there is certainly some real history here, so not 100% make-believe. I can accept rfied112's "make believe" assessment though in that the interior was fire-damaged about 13 years ago, so the wallpaper, furniture etc... are replicas of what "might have been there". I will say though that the Green Gables house is relatively recent Canadiana and will be of interest to only a certain subset of the population.

"Not very scenic". I can see how one can be left with an impression of barren stetches as the interior of the island has seemingly endless rolling farmland (although I found the rolling meadows just lovely in parts). With only a bit over a hundred thousand people on the entire island, indeed there's not much in the way of civilization (Charlottetown though I thought quite charming). While certainly there are parts that are "not very scenic", the seascape just east of Green Gables I thought uniquely magnificent with its red cliffs, I found the views approaching North Rustico breathtaking, and the vista of low tide at Tea Hill Beach almost otherworldly. These may not be Iguazu Falls or even the Cabot Trail, but I think some out there will appreciate the simplicity of their beauty.

All the best, Daniel